Ultrasonic flow meters (UFM) that are also known as ultrasonic meters are becoming very popular for flow metering because of their capability to measure a wide range of flow rates, cause minimal pressure drops, and have no-moving parts thus providing less mechanical maintenance. A key hardware component in a UFM is the transducer that comprises a piezoelectric element.
For flow metering two or more piezoelectric element-based transducers transmit and receive ultrasound signals through an encapsulated enclosure to/from fluid substances flowing in the pipe. However, the challenge of having high transducer signal quality still remains in industries such the oil/gas industry because industrial regulations impose specific application requirements including safety for hazardous and flammable zones (e.g., zone 0), high pressure of sometimes up to about 220 bars, and the Organisation Internationale de Métrologie Légale (OIML) class 0.5% over measuring range under disturbances which requires a better signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and sensitivity to deal with low flow rate while coping with real-time disturbances.